Top Gear Being Sued for Racist Remark – Car Pro News

Season 21 of Top Gear is over, which means it’s high time we had some controversy surround the world’s most popular motoring show. The issue this time rests with the show’s last two episodes, which saw the three hosts buy second-hand “lorries” and drive from Rangoon, Myanmar to the River Kwai, in Thailand. The three hapless personalities were then tasked with building a bridge across the river.

Towards the end of the episode, after the rickety bridge was constructed, Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson stand at the end admiring it. As a local man is crossing the bridge, though, Clarkson remarks that “there’s a slope on it,” ostensibly commenting on the shape and slant of the bridge. Now, for those not up to date with racist phrases, “slope” also doubles as a derogatory term for people of Asian descent. Knowing this, it certainly looks like Clarkson’s statement could have been more than just unfortunate timing.

This whole affair has left Somi Guha, an Indian-born actress, rather angry. She’s so upset by Clarkson’s use of the phrase that she’s retained a group of lawyers called Equal Justice to sue the BBC for $1.66 million, accusing the network of airing of “casual racism,” according to her written complaint to the BBC. Anglophiles or Brits will know Equal Justice as the group behind the Big Brother racism lawsuits.

“Jeremy Clarkson has made derogatory comments about Mexicans, now he bullies an Asian person. It has to stop,” Guha said in her statement.

4 thoughts on “Top Gear Being Sued for Racist Remark – Car Pro News”

This is getting out of hand. When you hear someone say “Look at the bumpers on that one”, followed by a response of “She has good bumpers too”, is someone referring to a vehicle (could be) or something else. If one takes offence, it is the latter, if not, it is the former. One can’t actually tell unless you “were there”..

Yes, words can be “offensive”, but this is getting out of hand. It certainly isn’t worth the sum of money being asked for. If someone wants to be offended, they will find a way, regardless of the words used. Today’s words in normal speech, will be offending soon. Maybe the word “Pro” will offend someone (or it probably has, who knows?).